Our Top Tips to Calm Dental Anxiety

The fear of visiting the dentist is not uncommon, and you’d be quite surprised to know how many patients experience dental anxiety – also known as dental phobia. One in three of us suffer from moderate dental anxiety and roughly one in eight suffer from dental phobia.

Some symptoms of dental phobia include a feeling of tension, problems sleeping the night before the dentist, increased nerves while in the waiting room, heightened anxiety at the thought of dental instruments or the dentist and panic or problems breathing during your appointment. These symptoms are more common than you think, and unfortunately, most are caused by negative experiences during childhood.

Those experiencing dental anxiety are likely to avoid visiting the dentist altogether, meaning that when they do require treatment, they will often wait until the treatment becomes an emergency. This anxiety may also be linked to a fear of pain, loss of control, negative past experiences and feelings of embarrassment about the way our teeth look. If you are putting off a visit to the dentist due to feeling self-conscious about the way your teeth look, please do not worry! 

Looking for top tips to calm your dental anxiety? Keep on reading!

Find a Dentist You Trust

Part of dental anxiety (and anxiety in general) is the fear of the unknown and fear of past experiences. You may have had a negative experience in the past with a dentist that has led you to have dentophobia during your adult years. Fortunately, dentistry has come a long way, and visiting a private dentist can really eradicate this fear. Not only will you have access to leading technologies that allow for gentle and more effective treatments, but you’ll also have more experienced dentists who are highly qualified.

We strongly recommend that you find a dentist that suits you, whether that be an NHS dentist or a private dentist.

If you find that your dentist is making you anxious, then you really should change your dentist and find one that makes you feel more at ease and comfortable.

Talk to Friends and Family

Word of mouth is a fantastic way to find the right dentist for you. Your friends and family will happily suggest a good dentist that they are comfortable and satisfied with. This means that you can find a dentist and feel at ease knowing your family or friends trust them.

As well as this, many private dentists also provide incentives for patients that recommend them. At Perfect Smile Spa, we’ll give you a free hygienist appointment if you refer a friend!

Look at Reviews

If you aren’t able to get recommendations from friends or family, if you have just moved to a new area for example, then another great way of finding the right dentist is to look at reviews for local dentists.

We recommend searching “dentists near me” which will bring up your local dentists and show all of the reviews and ratings from their patients so you can locate a trustworthy dentist. 

Painless Treatments

Believe it or not, dental treatments can be completely painless and comfortable if you visit the right dentist. Many patients fear the dentist out of a phobia of experiencing pain or discomfort, so if you do suffer from dental anxiety, we strongly advise you to visit a dentist that provides painless dentistry treatments, as this can completely change your perspective and outlook of visiting the dentist!

Our dentist and hygienist give painless injections and painless treatment to ensure you feel comfortable and safe during all appointments. We are proud to have treated many patients who would have otherwise avoided the dentist out of fear.

Whether you’re having a tooth extraction or porcelain veneers, you don’t need to worry. We will make your experience comfortable!

Start With Check-Ups

It’s inevitable that you will require some form of dental treatment in the future. If this is something that worries you, we do recommend scheduling a check-up appointment to start off with rather than beginning with a treatment. 

For patients that put off visiting the dentist, we strongly advise you to book a check-up appointment with our dental hygienist.

During a dental hygiene appointment, we will give you a check-up and provide you with full cleaning by scaling and polishing the teeth. We’ll also provide you with dental advice relevant to you. Dental hygiene appointments are nothing to worry about, and like all of our treatments, the appointment will be completely painless and comfortable.

How Can We Help?

At Perfect Smile Spa, we understand the importance of having confidence in your teeth and know the consequences that stress can have on your oral health and smile. If you do suffer from dental anxiety, it’s important that you still visit the dentist for check-up appointments and find a way that helps you to feel calm, even if that means visiting a private dentist.

Our cosmetic dentists have numerous dentistry awards as they use the most advanced equipment and aim to offer painless dentistry for nervous patients, including the option for sedation for optimum comfort.
Perfect Smile Spa is located in Essex and is easily accessible from most areas around the UK. For more information on our treatments, please get in touch with us or call us on 01708 442 114.

Our Top Tips to Calm Dental Anxiety was last modified: August 16th, 2021 by Perfect Smile Spa